Hi, I'm coming to London! I'm staying in this place - what's nearby?
This is a really bad way to pick restaurants. By staying within a .5 mile radius of your hotel you're missing out. Just get on that tube and go to Soho/East London/etc where ever!

London is an amazing place to go out for dinner, (though English food has an unfairly bad reputation) - some of the highest quality restaurants in the world are here in the capital, complete with Michelin Stars, epic expensive winelists, breathtaking food and proper fancy-pants waiters and waitresses and all that pomp and spectacle.

But if you know what you're doing, you can also enjoy a fantastic meal out for much less - there's a really huge range of menu-prices. Additionally London's had a spate of small ultra-casual-but-trendy places opening in the past year which most people LOVE,(Spuntino, Polpo etc), which offer a sort of rough-and-ready, sit-at-the-bar vibe where you can't book in advance. The sudden popularity of small plates (£3/£5/£7 sort of prices) kind of go along with this as well.

But there's every type of cuisine available and for most price ranges too if you know what you're doing. Tayyabs in Whitechapel is astoundingly cheap and delicious curry, for instance.

Because the city is so massive though, that without a good knowledge of where to eat in London, you can find yourself paying £25 for a badly cooked piece of pork with a fancy name, or wind up in a terrible Brick Lane curry house or a Bella Italia eating poo poo pasta or the infamous ANGUS STEAK HOUSE (ugh) full of tourists munching away on their revolting steak and greasy chips nodding in agreement at how terrible British food is.

Blogs worth reading
London's got a great little blogging network of people who regularly review and write up places to eat in London, from the high-end to the low-end which is handy to find something on the spot or just to keep up with generally. Naturally, if you want to find the best way to get a handle on what's good and what isn't, it's good old social media, like the following blogs (and their twitter feeds) - I'd say one of the best dining experiences of my whole life was after finding out on twitter about the supper club that Ben Greeno, formerly chef at Noma, was running in his home.

Supper clubs, where eat in the host's home and enjoy a set menu around a table with strangers, are also super popular at the moment and definitely worth trying at least once, they're so much fun and really memorable! The best way to find out which ones are near you, or where you'll be staying, is through the list on this site.

A few of the more popular blogs that I reckon are worth reading:Gourmet Chick- she's now moved to Australia but the archives are organised really helpfully for people looking for a restaurant to suit an occasion and postcode.A Very Unusual Chinaman - really great for little, unheard of places, and Chinese/Malaysian food in particularEat Like a Girl- a bit more recipe-based but still a very interesting blog on food in general rather than just restaurantsLondon Eater- quite a critical, experienced blogger, great photosCheese and Biscuits - Great all-round food blogger who rounds up restaurants, usually in the mid-range. Hollow Legs - quite lively and fun reviews of restaurants and the occasional recipe or off-topic post. Hot Dinners - Not a blog but a really useful aggregate site that rounds up professional reviews and pits them alongside user reviews. It's amazing how different they can be sometimes. Great for finding a specific type of cuisine in a specific location.

Edit: adding my own blog because why not. Hungry In Camden - Where I put up occasional reviews and recipes.

I'm not going to list restaurants in the OP because there's so many, but some of my favourites recommendations for a nice all-round proper dining out experience are Bob Bob Ricard, for special occasions, Lemonia, for awesome Greek mezze, the Hawksmoor who do the best burgers in London imo, and the Riding House Cafe, one of those small plate ones.
Or to go a bit cheaper and casual, I love Seoul in Finchley Road for cheap delicious Korean BBQ, Bodeans for American-style pulled pork and ribs, Yum Cha in Camden for dim sum and Maoz for quick amazing falafel in central.

Purl I wasn't a huge fan, but I only went for a quiet drink early on a Wednesday so mileage may vary. Cool drinks with dry ice.

Mark's Bar good cocktails, excellent bar snacks and the oyster ale is to die for

Claridges Bar the best service in town, an utter institution and all are made to feel welcome

Dukes Bar ignore the new, crap website, it has the best martinis in town by a long way

The American Bar felt a little impersonal but great cocktails and a London classic

Rules Bar great wood panelled room, the doorman will let you in, just ask

The Coburg Bar Full of Mayfair suits but good cocktails and a nice atmosphere make it a good place for after work drinks

The Lonsdale been ages since I have been, but I have a vague recollection of good vesper's and a cool crowd

Paramount The viewing gallery on the 33rd floor of the Centre Point tower perhaps has London's best view. If you are ever in town skip the Eye and head here, you can linger for as long as you want, drinking and nibbling plus there is a 360 degree view, and with it being just a corridor around the building it feels very calm.

Time Out has a good list, here. My fave is the Nightjar but have a real soft spot for Claridges, even if it is expensive!

I will get round to writing a list of restaurants soon, until then the list below is a good round up

Glad to see this thread is back! An informative OP, too. I thought it might be worth mentioning chains, as some people might want to know where they can get some decent-ish food anywhere in London without worrying about going into a random restaurant and being disappointed.

As far as pizza/pasta chains, Strada is fairly decent. I can't stand ASK or Pizza Express. GBK isn't bad for burgers, despite being owned by Nando's. I prefer Byron though. When I can think of some more I'll post some.

Lady Gaza posted:

I thought it might be worth mentioning chains, as some people might want to know where they can get some decent-ish food anywhere in London without worrying about going into a random restaurant and being disappointed.

It's really not, since the entire purporse of this thread is to tell people where to eat in London, removing the 'randomness' entirely. The only place you mentioned worth going to is Byron, and they ain't all that. Additionally, the other places have branches outside London, making your post equivalent to saying 'If you visit New York, you simply must go to an Olive Garden'.

Torquemada posted:

It's really not, since the entire purporse of this thread is to tell people where to eat in London, removing the 'randomness' entirely. The only place you mentioned worth going to is Byron, and they ain't all that. Additionally, the other places have branches outside London, making your post equivalent to saying 'If you visit New York, you simply must go to an Olive Garden'.

Nice strawman.

I don't see why this thread can't have both recommendations for independent and decent chain places. Sometimes people might want cheaper food or something they're more familiar or comfortable with, while avoiding lovely places. Sorry if this offends your sensibilities.

Anyway, for content, I'd recommend L'absinthe near Chalk Farm, I had a nice meal with my girlfriend a while back. It's a very small place so advisable to book ahead if it's a Saturday evening or something.

Actually the Meatwagon has shut now, they're opening a proper restaurant again under the name of Meat Liquor I think, though no idea how long this one will last. But I had one of their burgers while they were around.
OH YEAH!

I've been meaning to go to Byron actually, especially because I hear their milkshakes are legendary, and to be honest, it is worth knowing which chains trump other chains, I'd still go to a Wagamama in a pinch. And my mates love Wahaca (I'm not too taken though).

I'm a family man - I run a family business. This is my son and my partner, H.W.

Soiled Meat

Chains per se are not the end of the world if they provide decent food, consistently, and at a price. Independent is probably better so that there is a multiplicity of voices and choices in a market, but if the choices is between a decent chain and a lovely local independent, I'll have a chain meal, thank you very much.

We've had some East London recommendations; I work (and eat) in Soho, so I can talk about that:

Koya does fantastic udon. Not that strongly flavoured, but incredibly clean, well-defined ones with wonderfully textured udon. I love this place so much.

Koya was full the other day so I tried @Siam next door, and was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty decent Thai. I had flavourful, crispy, non-oily corn cakes, followed by a pad thai with a refreshing amount of tamarind sharpness, and certainly not too sweet.

Rosa's on Dean Street is also pretty decent Thai; both are better than busaba, which has, in my view, gone downhill.

If you want to treat yourself, Arbutus does an amazing set lunch: three courses for £17. They use cheaper cuts, like rabbit or lamb shoulder, and the dishes are not quite as sophisticated as the usual a la carte, but it is nonetheless wonderful food and incredible value.

I had a delicious lunch the other day at the Giaconda Dining Room; a small, old-school place serving old-school food, and doing it well.

I retain a soft spot for Fino, which is upscale tapas-style Spanish food.

In Friday I returned to Salt yard, where I hadn't been for a while, and really enjoyed my lunch there; everything was delicious.

At a similar level to Salt Yard, and cheaper than Fino, is tapas Brindisa 9formerly Tierra Brindisa), which I also really like.

Across the road from there is another fairly old-school bistro-type restaurant, Andrew Edmunds. Lovely.

Yauatcha is around the corner for dazzling high-end Chinese food and dim sum; or go for tea in the beautiful tea room and enjoy French-Chinese patisserie.

On the cheaper end of the spectrum, just across from Yauatcha is the fish and ships shop on Berwick Street, which is the best in Soho.

Alternatively, the wagon which is parked between the two, Pit Stop Cafe, does really good Malaysian/Singaporean food. There is always a queue.

Two more! Vasco and Piero's The Pavilion is another old-school classic serving very simple but absolute beautiful Italian food in a slightly shabby but charming setting.

A more modern alternative is Dean Street Townhouse, which is not cheap, but not extortionate either. This is a good option for lunch, breakfast, or even afternoon tea. the atmosphere is of an upscale modern members' club, but it isn't.

I could go on - Soho has a lot of good choices!

One more, but in N4 Stroud Green, where I live - Season Kitchen. Fantastic, with one of the best puddings I've ever eaten in the form of the rosemary chocolate pot.

The big thing at the moment is the Young Turks who're doing a three month residency at Ten Bells - I have a reservation for next week. Given their reputation I think it's safe to say it's going to be awesome. £39 for four courses and a cocktail - I think they might have some late spots left for November if there's anyone else looking to go.

My housemates and I headed to Meat Liquor last night to check it out. There were the usual new restaurant teething problems: queue out the door, not enough waiting staff, slow service but considering it's the first week of opening these will hopefully be resolved soon. There was also an unfortunate food shortage with the restaurant running out of burgers a little white after we were seated and two of the three desssert options weren't available either.

The food was exceptional value considering it's just off one of the UK's premier shopping destinations. Roughly £8 for a burger, £4 for starters, sides, desserts. There's a couple of lagers and ciders but the drinks menu is dominated by some pretty amazing sounding cocktails, which again are around £7-8. (There's a salad and a halloumi & mushroom burger for veggies but that's about it for non-meat-eaters.

Everything tasted great, the burgers were tender and oozing with cheese, the starters were very small but basically acted as opportunities for you to try their hot sauces. THe chilli cheese fries stood out as a side-order highlight. Coconut cream pie was fine as a dessert but it's obviously not their specialty.

Remember how Bodeans has that motto of 'fingers instead of forks' or something similar? Well Meat Liquor takes it one step further and does away with plates! All of our food was served on a paper-lined tray and we were left with some kitchen paper and our hands to forage for ourselves. It's a nice quirk, but when you're eating food like this which can get a bit messy, a plate would sometimes be welcome. It's definitely not somewhere you'd take someone you were trying to impress but it's a great value central restaurant for some guilty pleasures.

Oh, one final tip, there's a domed area near the front of the restaurant with a large round table in the middle. Try not to get seated at that table as the acoustics create this weird amplification where your conversation seems to be broadcast to the whole restaurant.

^^^ Whereabouts, and do you mean proper sit down courses and the rest or a place that you can have a quick mid-week lunch in?

Young Turks at the Ten Bells was AMAZING. It's only until January, so if you are keen do get in. Four courses, with a free cocktail, and four little snacky starters which were all unbelievably delicious. Fully recommended - they're very booked up but for £39 per person, and chefs that are this amazing, you really should just go for it!

We had pork belly that was to die for with a garlic milk puree and beetroot, but the table's favourite was definitely the slow roast pheasant with oats and parsnip. Fell off the fork. Plus, lovely atmosphere, very friendly with the chefs, and there's a supper-club-chat-to-randoms vibe.

If you're looking for somewhere a little fancier I can heartily recommend The Gilbert Scott which is Marcus Wareing's new place in St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. I went there with the other half in August for our anniversary and it was fantastic. The room is beautiful and the staff weren't as stuffy as I'd feared. We had the rib of beef (for two) which was simply stunning - even if you had to order all the side separately as it came with none. 3 courses + wine came to about £150 which was a little less than I was expecting.

If you do go you absolutely must go to the cocktail bar afterwards and try their "1873" cocktail. One of the best I've tried.

Misato - Map to location as they don't have their own website. Really cheap and really tasty though you have to queue for your seat. Is worth it if you're in that area of London with a friend and want a good, tasty filling meal. I can suggest the Kitsune Udon and any of the Teriyaki dishes.

Yoshino - On a nice day get a pack of freshly made salmon and avocado sushi for £3 (8 in a pack) and walk round the corner and sit in Soho Square.

Taro - Again fairly inexpensive and they have a nice range of Japanese dishes from Ramen to Bento.

Abeno Japanese Okinomiyaki. Magical disks of food happiness. They are cooked using the hot plate on your table. Expensive but worth having at least once.

On Friday, I went to check out Nightjar, having heard awesome things. It was absolutely incredible. We got seated at a tiny table right next to the stage. There was a pretty cool band playing. There was a tap dance battle. It was EPIC.
Here's the cocktail list:http://www.barnightjar.com/wp-conte...SUMMER-MENU.pdf

There is a pretty good Greek place on the Themes. A short walk from London Bridge and the Tower of London so is an easy stop after doing some touristy things. Service was great as well. Was a bit pricy (to my american wallet) but hell everything in London is pricey.

Hm, really it was good? I'm so skeptical of places like that. What did you have?

In other news I was taken out for my birthday to Bocca Di Lupo and I ate a MALLARD. And it was amazing. Seriously, a whole little duck. I love ducks - they are adorable and taste great (lol im going to hell)

Bocca Di Lupo was absolutely and completely wonderful so book a table for the next thing you need to book for okay

Anyone have any opinions on which of the many, many Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road in Hoxton does the best Pho? I went to the Song Que Cafe last month and thought it was great but it was the first time I'd ever eaten Pho so I don't really have anything to measure it against.

Da Polpo is right in the middle of Covent Garden, doesn't take reservations.

Similarly, but in Soho is Polpetto on Dean Street, and Spuntino on Rupert Street, by the same guy. I've heard great things about Duck Soup also on Dean Street, plus Meat Liquor is supposed to be amazing, but its on Welbeck Street behind Oxford Circus so a bit of a stretch.

Also Mildreds does great veggie food on Lexington Street. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hope that's useful!

If anyone's ever around Archway, you should check out 500, a really nice Italian restaurant. It's pretty tiny, you'll likely have to book. It's on Holloway Road near the Archway end - not the most salubrious of settings, but don't let that put you off! http://www.timeout.com/london/resta.../500-restaurant

It's also very close to the Sitara, billed as an "Indian Jazz Restaurant". A fairly decent Indian with Jazz music playing and various Jazz themed paraphernalia on the walls. I will be visiting both of these places when I'm in London for Christmas!

Let me fall out the window
With confetti in my hair
Deal out jacks or better
On a blanket by the stairs
I'll tell you all my secrets
But I lie about my past

oldy posted:

If anyone's ever around Archway, you should check out 500, a really nice Italian restaurant. It's pretty tiny, you'll likely have to book. It's on Holloway Road near the Archway end - not the most salubrious of settings, but don't let that put you off! http://www.timeout.com/london/resta.../500-restaurant

It's also very close to the Sitara, billed as an "Indian Jazz Restaurant". A fairly decent Indian with Jazz music playing and various Jazz themed paraphernalia on the walls. I will be visiting both of these places when I'm in London for Christmas!

I've tried to go to 500 so many times because it's so close, but I was never able to make a reservation for the same night or the next weekend - they seem ridiculously popular for a neighbourhood restaurant.

I'm a family man - I run a family business. This is my son and my partner, H.W.

Soiled Meat

sweek0 posted:

I've tried to go to 500 so many times because it's so close, but I was never able to make a reservation for the same night or the next weekend - they seem ridiculously popular for a neighbourhood restaurant.

I've never made it but intend to - it's just about walking distance from me.

Does anyone know any good Ethiopian restaurants in N London? There's a fantastic one on Shoot-Up Hill, but it's a bit far.

Neris posted:

Hm, really it was good? I'm so skeptical of places like that. What did you have?

It was good. I had the Spanikopita and for appetizer feta, olives, tomatoes w/ pita dish. The kids had a gyro - can't remember if it was in a pita or just the gyro meat on a plate w/ fries - but they didn't complain. The only thing they asked for after the meal was to get a cornish pasty for desert....

therattle posted:

Does anyone know any good Ethiopian restaurants in N London? There's a fantastic one on Shoot-Up Hill, but it's a bit far.

Neris posted:

But, there is apparently a legendary one in West London that does epic tibs so I hear, but I'll need to get forums user Lady Gaza or Kaiho to say what that's called..

Represent.

Kaiho showed me one in Ladbroke Grove, it's called Gojo, left out the station, less than a minute up the road. It's not the kind of place I would usually venture into; it's below an off-licence and is a bit run down, so it's not fine dining or anything. It's cheap though (about 6 of us went last time and it came to about £15 a head including a few bottles of beer each), and the food is amazing, the derek and goden tibs are by far the best. The other meat dishes are good too. The staff are lovely, and it's usually completely empty, which is strange. The only time it was busy was when it was filled with Ethiopian people, which I took as a sign it was authentic.

I go past it on my bus to/from work and keep meaning to go back. Need to check if they do takeaway...

Neris posted:

There's one in Kentish Town right near where I work, the Queen of Sheba, though I've never been, it gets pretty good reviews from a cursory glance!

But, there is apparently a legendary one in West London that does epic tibs so I hear, but I'll need to get forums user Lady Gaza or Kaiho to say what that's called..

It's called Gojo and it's located under an off license just north of ladbroke grove station. Hands down the best injera I've had in this town and the meat dishes are great. Just be sure that if you get the rare beef dishes you ask for them truly rare - they often think foreigners will balk at raw meat.

Lady Gaza posted:

I go past it on my bus to/from work and keep meaning to go back. Need to check if they do takeaway...

Mishkins is the new place by the team behind Polpo, Spuntino etc, and is aiming for the New York Jewish Deli style, with Reubens, Matzo Ball Soup etc, but also things like Big Apple Hot Dogs (definitely the best in London) and the Cod Cheek Popcorn, which is like Scampi if it were even better. They also had a special of Duck Crackling, which was the best bar snack I've had for a while

Dropped by Copita for Gin and Tonic's the size of your head, but overall wasn't too impressed with the pretty small portions and fairly lacklustre service. The Iberico Pork ribs were very good though.

Hix bar currently has some good snacks going on, as well as being the only place with Bar Billiards that I know of in the city. They had Cider Battered Brussel Sprouts with Black Pudding, and Bone Marrow (but more a bone marrow stuffing than the normal marrow, very good if you don't like the texture of Bone Marrow, like me)

Also, if you haven't done the Hawksmoor Sunday Lunch, you're missing out. It's only £17 for more food than a plate can handle;

I know its been covered already, but i went to Meat Liquor this weekend.

loving awesome. The bun blew the backdoor off Byron.

Don't get me wrong, I love Byron, especially during movember, but Meat Liquor was tasty and super fun.

Got the House Grogg cocktail, which was delicious, and a Full English Martini - basically a wet vodka martini with a shot glass of bacon powder and a quails egg on a stick - bizarre - but got a lot of comic attention from some onlookers.

We ordered our food and within seconds 2 burgers showed up. No sides though. We were starving so we downed the burgers in like 65 seconds and the tray they came on was cleared away. About 10 mins later the sides still hadn't arrived. 12 minutes later, they came, with burgers. Looked like an awesome error was made to our benefit and we ended up eating 2 rounds of burgers. Hell I'm going back just out of guilt because these burgers are so good. I got the double one with mustard, cant quite remember the name though... with deep fried pickles, onion rings and slaw.

I will be stepping off the train at St. Pancras in the second week of May as a rank tourist on a day trip from Paris. Looking for a decent pub with food (or food near it), possibly decent fish & chips.

Yes, I know I couldn't possibly get more touristy. Last time I was in London was 1977, and had many shandies (I was 14) at some frast old hole in the wall as well as my first shwarma at some place in SoHo that was amazing. So I'm a bit dated.

I'm a family man - I run a family business. This is my son and my partner, H.W.

Soiled Meat

PainterofCrap posted:

I will be stepping off the train at St. Pancras in the second week of May as a rank tourist on a day trip from Paris. Looking for a decent pub with food (or food near it), possibly decent fish & chips.

Yes, I know I couldn't possibly get more touristy. Last time I was in London was 1977, and had many shandies (I was 14) at some frast old hole in the wall as well as my first shwarma at some place in SoHo that was amazing. So I'm a bit dated.

As far as I know the area near St Pancras is a bit of a culinary desert so you might have to go a bit farther. Great Queen Street in Holborn is excellent modern traditional English food (if that makes sense), in Holborn not TOO far from St Pancras. Probably not quite walking distance. The Eagle is the original British gastropub, not too far either. If you don't want to venture too far The Fellow in York Way is apparently quite good. The only good fish and chips I know is in Soho in Berwick Street.

ask me about leaving the cult of black metal and bringing jesus into your life

Job 19:17

The new BrewDog pub in Camden does excellent burgers. I had the Milwaukee (pork and herbs, pickles, sauerkraut) and it was fantastic, and an ok price too. The beer selection is fantastic, too, as you'd expect.

After mentioning this on Twitter, someone recommended I check out Lucky Chip in Netil Market (E8) for good burgers. Has anyone been?

therattle posted:

As far as I know the area near St Pancras is a bit of a culinary desert so you might have to go a bit farther. Great Queen Street in Holborn is excellent modern traditional English food (if that makes sense), in Holborn not TOO far from St Pancras. Probably not quite walking distance. The Eagle is the original British gastropub, not too far either. If you don't want to venture too far The Fellow in York Way is apparently quite good. The only good fish and chips I know is in Soho in Berwick Strteet.

Greatly appreciate this, thanks! Will likely hop a cab to these spots. English food is badly misunderstood, underrated and maligned. I'm really looking forward to a pint (or three) and a meal with my family.

My single best memory of London was wandering round on my own one day and getting fish & chips (sprinkled with proper malt vinegar) in newspaper from some hole-in-the-wall chip shop. One of the best meals ever, I remember it well these 35-years on.

Neris posted:

Grabbed one of their Rudolph Burgers at the Long Table a couple of weeks ago and I'd back this up. These burgers are definitely the best I've had in London (not been to MeatWagon/Meateasy yet though)

In other news, if you are in the North London region, definitely look up the Long Table in Dalston, street market with a tonne of good food, I think this Friday's the last one. There's a long queue, but well worth it.